Arts & Culture

BASIS Independent McLean (BIM) debuted its new mascot as the Red-Tailed Hawk. Staff and students voted on five mascot candidates and the winning selection was the Red-Tailed Hawks. Two BIM students helped create the draft design for the Red-Tailed Hawks for their communication journal: Kelley Wang, an 11th grader representing upper school, and Grace Araya, a 4th grader representing the lower school. For more information on the school go to http://mclean.basisindependent.com or call 703.854.1253.

Metropolitan School of the Arts (MSA) Academy of Alexandria Va. will perform its Company Project - Evolution: Past, Present, Future on Sun., Oct. 29 at 6 p.m. at Kenmore Middle School in Arlington, Va. 200 S. Carlin Springs Rd. The show highlights MSA’s most talented and most dedicated performers. The Company Project is a chance for MSA’s pre-professional companies to perform in a high caliber show, which pushes students’ boundaries artistically, physically, and mentally. This year, The Company Project - Evolution will delve into the world of dance from past, present and future. Tickets are $15 per person. Go to www.metropolitanarts.org for more information.

Metropolitan School of the Arts (MSA) Academy of Alexandria Va. congratulates its student Elpida Voryas, 16, of Alexandria, Va. on her acceptance to the pre-professional Houston Ballet Academy program this fall. Go to www.metropolitanarts.org for more information.

Voryas has been taking jazz, ballet, modern and contemporary dance for 12 years, but became more committed to ballet at age 8, when she started MSA’s conservatory Royal Academy of Dance. After graduating from that program with distinction, she was invited to train with the prestigious Royal Ballet School Summer program in London in 2017, where she was among 125 female and male dancers who were picked from 2,700 applicants from around the world.

Metropolitan School of the Arts (MSA) of Alexandria Va. welcomes eight new faculty members to its tap, jazz, hip hop and ballet departments, from various parts of the United States and beyond, including Roger C. Jeffrey, a NYC native and The Juilliard School graduate, specializing in ballet, Quynn Johnson, a Howard University graduate and student of tap and West African dance, and Guiliano Antonio, a Brazilian tap artist, who has taught at several tap festivals in Argentina, Brazil and the United States. Go to www.metropolitanarts.org for more information on their staff.

Maaza 29 of Gainesville, Va. is joining forces with Help PWC (Prince William County) Kids Pay for Lunch program, by donating $1 for every dinner entrée served between July 1 and Aug. 31, 2017. The European-Ethiopian fusion bistro bar was inspired to support the program after learning of the desperate need to help Prince William County families avoid being turned over to collections for school lunch debt. For information about Maaza 29, go to www.maaza29.com

“After I read the articles and learned that many PWC families who owe more than $50 in school lunch debt, would be turned over a collection agency, I immediately knew I wanted to be part of the solution,” said Emanuel Reta, owner of Maaza 29 of Gainesville, Va. “I encourage everyone to support Help PWC Kids Pay For Lunch, whether it’s going to the GoFundMe account, or stopping into Maaza 29, make a difference,” said Reta.

‘Welcome to Cuba!’ is what you’ll hear from George and Linda Meyers, owners of Cook in Tuscany and Cook in Mexico at their latest culinary tour spot--Havana, Cuba . Cook in Cuba is now taking guests to Old Havana, exploring Cuban cuisine, history and culture. Cook in Tuscany, a Tuscan culinary tour, recently named one of the top 15 Foodie Destinations by USA Today, just launched its third culinary tour, Cook in Cuba in Havana, Cuba. For more information, go to www.cookincuba.kitchen.

Metropolitan School of the Arts (MSA) of Alexandria Va. will perform their spring production Enchanted, the Musical on Sat., June 24 at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. and Sun., June 25 at 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. at the Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center in 4915 E. Campus Drive in Alexandria, Va. Tickets are $20-$23. Go to www.metropolitanarts.org for tickets.

The show will feature hundreds of MSA students in dance, music, and theater and bring to life the incredible adventures of fairytale Princess Giselle in modern day Manhattan. The shows do sell out, so we recommend purchasing your tickets early. Tickets are for assigned seats and include free parking in the neighboring garage. Please order carefully, as there are no refunds and no exchanges.